Yutakayama Katsuo
| Yutakayama Katsuo | |
|---|---|
| 豊山 勝男 | |
Yutakayama Katsuo (third from right) with Toyokuni Susumu in 1961
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Katsuo Uchida August 18, 1937 Niigata, Japan |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 137 kg (302 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Tokitsukaze |
| Record | 413-245-8 |
| Debut | March, 1961 |
| Highest rank | Ōzeki (March, 1963) |
| Retired | September, 1968 |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (4) Outstanding Performance (3) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Kashiwado) |
| * Up to date as of August 2012. | |
Yutakayama Katsuo (born 18 August 1937 as Katsuo Uchida) is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki. Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before wrestling professionally he was an amateur champion at Tonodai University and he was the first former collegiate competitor to reach the ōzeki rank. After retirement he was head coach of the Tokitsukaze stable. From 1998 until 2002 he was the chairman (rijicho) of the Japan Sumo Association.
Born in Shibata, he attended the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and in amateur sumo earned the Collegiate Yokozuna title. He made his professional debut at the age of 23 in May 1961, joining Tokitsukaze stable, run by the former yokozuna great Futabayama. Due to his amateur achievements he was given makushita tsukedashi status and began in the third makushita division, fighting under his real name of Uchida. He reached the second jūryō division in three tournaments and after winning the jūryō division yūshō or championship with a perfect 15-0 score in November 1961 he was promoted to the top makuuchi division.
He adopted the shikona of Yutakayama upon his entry to the top division in January 1962 and was a runner-up to yokozuna Taihō in his debut tournament with a score of 12-3, also receiving the Fighting Spirit prize. He made komusubi rank in May 1962 but fell just short with seven wins. However, after a fine 12-3 score in September he was elevated straight to sekiwake and two more runner-up performances (to Taiho once again) saw him promoted to the second highest rank of ōzeki. The 37 wins he had in the three tournaments prior to his promotion is tied with Hokuten'yū and Wakanohana III as the best record in sumo history.
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